Pope calls on European conservatives to retain Christian values
Pope Benedict XVI has joined forces with the conservative European People's Party to highlight Christian values as the core of the European project, at a private audience during the party's congress in Rome.
Speaking to some 500 EPP parliamentarians and officials in the Vatican on Thursday (30 March), the Pope urged the politicians to prove their commitment to the Christian heritage by not supporting policies that counter basic principles.
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In a list of examples, he mentioned "the protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death," as well as "recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family - as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage."
The pontiff bemoaned the fact that there is now a "fairly spread" culture in Europe which "relegates to the private and subjective sphere the manifestation of one's own religious convictions."
But he praised the EU's constitutional treaty for its contribution on maintaining "structured and ongoing relationship with religious communities" at EU level.
The leader of the European Parliament's EPP-ED group, Hans-Gert Pottering, noted in his speech to the Pope and participants in the audience that the group had fought to get a reference to God in the European Constitution.
"Although we were not successful, the final text does embody essential Christian values. The EPP-ED Group, as an advocate of Judaeo-Christian values, is determined about the spiritual and moral dimension of the European project," he said.